March 19 agenda: South American Games in Colombia

Friday's selection offers major sports events like the South American Games in Medellin and the cross-country skiing world cup finals in Sweden, while British video games will receive awards in London, among other events.

IX South American Games
March 19-30
Medellín, Colombia

Though in the past the games featured regional sports such as bocce, a variant on bowls, and popular soccer derivative futsal, this year's South American Games go for more standard Olympic fare with sports such as swimming, cycling, fencing, martial arts, weightlifting, and of course track & field. The city of Medellín has been determined to embrace the Games' spirit of equality and fairness by distributing free tickets to residents for the opening ceremony.
http://www.medellin2010.org

Skiing: FIS World Cup Finals in crosscountry
March 19-22
Lugnet, Falun, Sweden

The International Ski Federation's World Cup tour that started in November 2009 ends in central Sweden with a three-day championship schedule, following on from the penultimate meet in Stockholm on March 17. For the men, Norwegian Petter Northug has a clear advantage over his nearest rivals, while in the women's category it is Justyna Kowalczyk who heads the field.
http://www.fiscrosscountry.com

British Academy Video Games Awards
March 19
London, UK

Thirty-nine of 2009's top games jostle for awards in 14 categories, while 10 of those titles face a public vote for the GAME Award. The ceremony will be broadcast live on the BAFTA website from 8.45pm GMT. The nominations are led by Uncharted 2, Modern Warfare 2, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Assassin's Creed II, and Left 4 Dead 2.
http://www.bafta.org